"We rode around in one big van that smelled really bad," she added regarding her fellow season one contestants. "We'd have three hours to go shopping. I often made my own clothes; I'd be in the closet, sewing my costumes together."

"It was like a boot camp," former second-season contestant Kimberly Caldwell, 24, claimed. "All we did was practice. We worked our butts off, from 5 or 6 a.m. to 10 at night."

The Post said since the earlier problems, "Idol" contestants have received improved accommodations but still must live under strict regulations during their stay.